One of our family's favourite local hiking spots, and has something for everyone? Need an even surface for a stroller or wheelchair? The boardwalk has you covered as it loops around the lake itself. Want a longer hike through the woods? The multiple trails weave through the nearby woodlands and can extend your outing to hours. Want to take a break from walking and learn? The historical importance of the lake itself as well as the Iroquois village with tons of exhibits is right there as well! And the best part is it's all in the GTA's backyard - absolutely worth it! read more

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Everything went amazing here the wood carvings and the walk and it's just so beautiful read more

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This weekend we visited Crawford lake and we had a really great time. The Sights: There are three features you need to check out if you visit Crawford Lake. 1) The Iroquoian Village 2) The Iroquoian Art 3) The The Lake Trail 1) The Iroquoian village is a really fun and educational conservation area that recreates an Iroquoian village so you can learn how they lived many years ago. There are educational signs so you can read about the different features on the grounds. We really enjoyed the historic touch and enjoyed this experience. This walk can be up to 1km depending how much you look at. 2) The Iroquoian carvings are along the head trail on route to the lake, side Bruce trail and the woodland trail. On my greener map, it is the area south of the green dot and above the lake. This is definitely a must see and makes the area very special. It's really nice to see preserved carvings and explore the area while enjoying native art. It definitely makes the drive up from Toronto or anywhere else worth it. 3) The lake trail is also very enjoyable if you like scenic views. It was very peaceful and we enjoyed looking at beautiful views of the lake. You travel along a narrow wooden bridge, which is one way only. It provides a very enjoyable walk around the lake. Would I return? Absolutely! read more

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Wish I found out about this conservation area sooner! I took my kids for a hike during Covid (Nov 2020) and you are required to reserve a 2-hour timeslot. There is a porta potty right by the entrance and 2 separate parking lots. There are these log houses right by the entrance that don't look like much from the outside, but they are completely modernized once you go in, with masks on, of course. There are displays and videos, and further back, you'll find some wooden racks, pottery, animal hides, kind of like how the native people would've used the log houses back then. I'm told that last fall/winter, a bon fire would be set up and you can enjoy hot chocolate outside. With a bunch of little kids in tow, we went on the boardwalk trail that wraps around the lake. Along the clean path are wooden sculptures, perfect for photo ops. Because of Covid, the boardwalk is uni-directional as it is quite narrow. Every one was courteous and would love a large space when we're passing each other. I would definitely go back to Crawford Lake and go on their other trails. read more

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I thought we were just going for a nice walk but it turns out that there's an educational aspect to visiting as well. There's a 15th century Iroquoian Village that has been reconstructed with videos and information inside. The day we went actually had a school group there as well. The walk around the lake didn't take long. I didn't even realize we had reached the starting point again until I recognized one of the statues. There's other trails that lead off from the lake but we only had time for the one on that day. I'd like to go back and explore some more. read more

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My husband and I went snowshoeing at the Crawford Lake Conservation Area this afternoon (about 45 minutes west of Toronto). We started on the Snowshoe Trail (3.4km - 1 hour 30 minutes - This trail has been designed with snowshoers in mind. Enjoy the beauty of winter as you wind your way through field and forest). Then we did the Escarpment Trail (2.4 km - 1 hour - This natural trail winds through rocky woodlands and along the brow of the Niagara Escarpment. A highlight is the lookout where interpretive cairns and resting benches are located). The first part is definitely a natural trail as it is almost non-existent and we were climbing over logs and rocks. The second half is a well-traveled trail. What a fun day! We were snowshoeing for 2.5 hours! No doubt we'll sleep well tonight. read more

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This is beautiful park for a nice walk. Some interesting exhibits, scenery and trails. It can get busy and crowded during nice weather. During COVID time, you would need to reserve a time slot for your visit. Trails are easy with minimal incline or stairs. On one visit, we were able to see a large turtle in the lake. They also have exhibits providing some history and details of this destination. There are also some elaborate carved sculptures on the trail. read more

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Touristy but a great stop for my family on a Sunday afternoon. This is one of 7 Halton parks in the area. You pay one day rate of ~$7/adult and can access all the parks for that day. As you walk up from the gravel parking lot, you can see a model Wendat/Huron village at the top of the hill. Archeologists found many artifacts and the University of Toronto was involved with researching the history of First Nations people who lived here. We wandered around the model Wendat/Huron village for an hour and enjoyed the descriptions and explanations. Some of the longhouses are beautifully renovated and are structured as a traditional museum, with pot lights, printed displays and a fancy interior. Other longhouses are dark, have an uneven dirt floor, hung with furs and dried corn, to mimic what a longhouse would have felt like. Staff float around and help give talks and explanations. The biggest thing that was missing was the smell of fire smoke and leather! The exhibit is good for an hour walk and is a good learning opportunity. The visitor centre adjacent to the village has a small theatre where you can watch a video about this site. There are washrooms downstairs, as well as a room for school groups. The gift shop on the main floor, however, only serves a reminder that there isn't much actual native involvement on the monetary side of things here. While some of the displays in the longhouse exhibits are actually produced by native artists and writers - I actually read poems and saw pottery produced by actual First Nations people - the gift shop still needs to be seriously updated. TRAILS: Only checked out a short trail towards the lake, but there are stunning wood carvings every hundred meters. Lots of maps around to help guide you, as well as the blue stripes that indicate you are crossing sections of the famous Bruce Trail. read more

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Once was enough. The reconstructed Iroquois village is somewhat interesting at best. You could realistically see it all in as little as 10 mins. It's probably exactly as you imagine. You can walk inside the buildings, one of which is modern and has nicer displays and a documentary playing. The trails are okay at best. I think I got spoiled by Mount Nemo and Rattlesnake Point. Don't know what the big deal is about the lake. Aesthetically-wise it's a pretty normal lake. The boardwalk is okay. When I went in December 2016 there was no attendant at the gate. Instead, they have a box of little envelopes. You're supposed to take one, rip off half to place your entry fee into which then goes into another box - the other half you leave on your car dash. Well I didn't have exact change so I wasn't sure what to do. Poor system. Definitely won't be returning. read more

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I spent Friday, July 13 there with my daughter and 3 grandchildren. What an amazing spot. The kids had so much fun. They have been there before and we're busy explaining everything in the Longhouses to me. They also has a blast digging in the Archeological Site that has been set up. They had some much fun in there, that they went back before we left. We also had an amazing walk around the lake, where the kids were busy looking at nature in its finest. They saw fish, frogs, birds, chipmunks, squirrels and fish. After walking the boardwalk, we had a picnic lunch. What a great day. read more

Visited with my Husky on a Sunday morning. As mentioned by the other reviewers, a lot of tourists', mostly by the lake, some taking in the easy hike on the boardwalk around it. The weather was awesome, and if you're on one of the side trails, you can really get away from it all. We were adventurous, so we hiked up to rattlesnake point and back down again, not for the inexperienced hiker this one. At one point, you're descending a dry waterfall and it's just dry rocks all over!! There is an alternate route, but we missed it on the way down. I'm definitely going back. The only thing I would like to see is better markers, at one point I ended up on Guelph Line and had a back track quite a bit. read more

"Crawford Lake and Iroquoian Village" Crawford Lake Conservation is 468 hectare park has 19km of trails and also a 15th century reconstruction of Iroquoian village. I would say it is great for hiking and if I was there for hiking I would have ranked it with 4 stars. But I was just visiting the old village and it was an average area with samples of hunting and farming tools, furs, crops. You can touch almost everything plus few building to show how big family lived together. Once I was done with the village, I went for the 750 m wooden boardwalk around the Crawford Lake that is quite scenic at some points. If you are going for a picnic, there are lots of park benches plus there are Benches around the boardwalk trail for the lake. If I was going for a picnic then I would spend a day here but half a day suffice if you are just there to browse around. There is an entrance fee $7.50 per adult so be ready to pay up. There were washrooms and a water fountain in the visitor centre. read more

Went: Sunday, September 6, 2015, 1:00 p.m (67/100) Crawford Lake is more touristy than Rattlesnake Point. The lake is nice looking but there are a lot of nice looking lakes out there. The long boardwalk is a bonus. It is obvious some people put in a lot of effort, but it will certainly be too easy for experienced hikers. There are three tall houses replicating the old Iroquois living quarters. Exploring the cultural content inside is a nice break from strenuous hiking -- if you came via Rattlesnake point -- but it is sort of average in terms of engaging you and holding your interest. We had a Haagen-Daz Tiramisu bar from the Visitors Centre and it was the best ice cream that I can remember having. The difference in quality over other brands was very noticeable. I think this was our highlight of the Crawford Lake experience. ;) We paid the park fee at Rattlesnake Point and came to Lake Crawford, a 12.5K or so hike. I would not pay the fee to visit Crawford Lake itself as there is probably not enough there. read more

Crawford Lake Conservation Area - Parks Near Me - Milton, Ontario

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Lovely place for a walk on a sunny day. Comfortable trails, doesn't take too long to do. Once you leave the main lake area you leave the people behind. Get there early because there's not much parking. read more

Not an outing I would repeat. Yes, it was a beautiful day and the walk around the lake was awesome but that's where it ended. No toilets were working and the park was packed. Only one outhouse toilet. If you charge $7.25/per person for entry you must provide the services. Took my kids several years ago and I don't see much improvement. In fact, I think the gift shop looked run down and tacky. Won't be making a return trip, especially with folks from out of town. read more